5:Rose
by FrivolousThoughts
Summary: He promised he'd visit her once every year. Set in a world where Marvel and DC have always co-existed.


**Author's Note:** This little story is about Peter and Gwen, actually sliceoffriedgold gave me the idea to write about this in a way to expand on a few things so I decided to start with Mister Parker's first love.

This does take place in my little Marvel/DC universe but is cut off from everything else, it's just Peter having his own little moment with his girlfriend.

I was partially inspired by the Spider-Man: Blue storyline in the mainstream comics when I was writing this.

This actually takes place after all of my other little one-shots, there isn't much mention of any other characters but I've placed this in the Spider-Man/Young Justice crossover section because it is a part of that series.

I hope nobody is too confused.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Spider-Man or Young Justice in any way, the character Spider-Man and all related content is owned by Marvel and Disney. Young Justice and all related content is owned by DC.

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**Rose**

Peter leaped off of a low-rise rooftop stretching his arm out and firing a web-line to the nearest anchor point available, the gossamer snagged the ledge of another building and he entered the familiar swinging motion he and so many other people recognized. The teenager was rather silent at the moment as he had somewhere important to be, somewhere he hated going but somewhere he swore to always visit every year even though the incident had only happened one year prior.

His conversation with Miss Martian a few nights ago had reminded him of something he needed to do, Peter still wasn't sure what he was going to do about M'gann though but that problem would be solved another time as most of his attention happened to be elsewhere at the moment.

The month was June and summer had rolled around making everything hotter, his spandex suit was skin-tight but the heat of the season was still killing him and just about every other New Yorker. Peter wasn't too focused on the heat though, in fact when the word June popped up on his calendar he could barely focus on anything else beside her.

Gwen Stacy.

He grit his teeth as the name resounded in his head as it was a constant reminder of possibly his greatest failure, well one of them anyway. Truth be told he'd lost count, he let a strained laugh escape his throat as he swung mid-air across the skyline. Peter absent-mindedly spotted a purse thief running for dear life down on the streets below him, he heard a middle aged woman scream for somebody to help her while she had given chase and he'd already tapped his web-shooter nailing the punk straight in the feet stopping him in his tracks. The kid face-planted concrete receiving several kicks from the woman as Spider-Man swung away over head in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge, perhaps the only place in his city he rarely ever went to by choice.

He let go of his web-line and bounced off of a nearby building flipping in mid-air, he then used his momentum to snag a building with another web-line and fire himself through the air like a cannonball. Each time Peter rotated he caught a glimpse of the bridge mirroring the dreaded image in both of his bright white lenses, he ignored the overwhelming sense of déjà vu though as he once again seemed to be in quite a rush to reach the landmark.

The sad truth was that he just wanted to get it over and done with so he wouldn't have to think about the night it happened, no matter how hard he tried though the sickening image was still freshly painted in the recesses of his mind. His initial momentum wore off and he landed lightly on a building's water tower, he didn't stop but merely summersaulted off diving back down to the streets below.

Spider-Man let another strand of webbing fly as he steadied himself out in the air, he caught the sight of a small florist kiosk a few blocks away and decided it was best to at least pay his respects properly. Sooner rather than later he passed the mall kiosk carefully letting his spider-sense guide his aim as he snagged a small petit red rose from the stand, the woman running the stand was about to shout out some rude obscenity as the web-slinger swung away but quickly refrained as she noticed two one dollar bills lying in its place.

Peter held the rose close to his chest as he soared through the air getting closer and closer to his inevitable destination, the man had no idea what on Earth he was going to say to her but silently reminded himself that no matter what happened she would understand.

She always understood, even when he'd split unexpectedly in the middle of a date to go wrestle with the Rhino the blonde angel didn't seem to mind. She told him it was okay and nodded along to whatever half-assed excuse he had dared to offer her, sometimes Peter wondered just what did those beautiful blue eyes see in him?

After swinging for a few minutes he'd finally reached the place of her departure, the red and blue figure swung around the steel suspensions of the bridge whiplashing him high enough to land perfectly on one of the two towers. Peter stood there for a few moments as he silently looked around the bridge's tower, he could still see the damage that had been caused to it as a result of his fight with the Goblin. A few repairs had been made since then but that didn't really matter to him, he fiddled with the red rose in his hands and took in a deep breath.

Walking a few steps forward he simply placed the rose on the floor of the tower and stood to his full height watching as the sun began to set over New York, oranges mixed with reds and yellows as though they were spread along the biggest canvas in existence. He never really said it but the sight really was quite beautiful…

_Just like you…_

The vigilante choked slightly and knew it was time to leave, he didn't have anywhere else to be as far as he knew of and nobody else knew about the promise he'd swore to keep. Peter turned away from the rose and was just about ready to leap off of the bridge but… he suddenly found himself wanting to speak.

Something, he had to say something to her. Could he really just show up and not say anything to her at all? The thought didn't sit right with him and he swallowed once more as he felt his mouth become unusually dry for some strange reason.

Peter didn't turn but kept his back to the rose, "I'm sorry… I'm late" he said almost in a whisper.

He waited for a full minute but received no answer, was he really expecting one? Spider-Man found himself awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as the silence stretched on, a trait he had developed when he was rendered speechless or when he was stuck in a situation like the one he was in at the moment.

"I uhh… I actually visited your Dad last November, he didn't really have much to say either" Peter spoke with a hint of dry humour to his voice.

The web-slinger was once again hit with an absence of conversation and decided to speak up once more, "I see I'm going to be the one talking for the both of us then? I uhh… I'm kinda good at that" he muttered summoning enough courage to turn and face the lone rose.

He stared at the small flower for a few minutes his lenses fixed on where it was lying, "I would have stopped by on Valentine's Day but I… lost track of time. I know, I need to get a watch or something" he sighed lightly as silence wasn't one of his best fortitudes.

A soft wind fluttered by moving the rose slightly as if it was responding to his attempts to start a conversation, "Aunt May says hi by the way. The two of you always seemed a little too close for my liking, I actually thought you had secret conversations behind my back and made fun of me when I wasn't around" he continued laughing at his own simple minded joke.

Peter nodded his mask covered head shifting his weight onto his right foot, "Yeah I can be pretty stupid sometimes but well… you already knew that" he finished wearing a sad smile.

And then nothing else came to mind, he couldn't think of any more small talk to delay his departure and he knew that he would need to go soon. The man had a city to protect and an Aunt to take care of and social lives in and out of the costume but he wanted to say something meaningful, no witty banter or weak one-liners but something deep.

Peter Parker had never been a deep sort of person, the only deep thing he could think of was the small piece of wisdom his Uncle Ben had left him with. Unfortunately the great power and great responsibility bit didn't come of much use in his current situation, he lifted his head up to see just how late it was getting and he groaned inwardly.

It wasn't completely night yet but the stars were beginning to light up the sky for the evening, Peter shifted his gaze back onto the rose as he bit his lip prepared to say the first thing that came to mind.

He opened his mouth beneath the red mask, "… I was going to spend the rest of my life with you Gwen. I just… I didn't know that meant you'd only get to spend the rest of your life with me" he revealed to himself what he had contemplated only a year ago.

Eighteen was an early age to ask for a girl's hand in marriage but… he was going to do it. Peter was so sure that she was the one he was prepared to take that next big step, and then it happened. He wasn't going to say it, he doesn't even want to think about it but it took her away from him and there was nothing he could have done about it.

_And I've come to accept that…_

But when he lost someone he loved and everyone told him to pick himself up and just move on, it made him smile. Not a cocky grin or a smug smirk but a genuine heart felt smile.

_Like I would ever want to forget about you…_

Peter laughed to himself silently as he turned away from the ruby rose, the Manhattan night was about to begin and he had to be out and about in his red and blue feety pyjamas. As he walked away from the rose and towards the edge of the bridge's tower he stopped in mid-stride and turned his head to look over his shoulder.

"Hello, Gwen" he greeted genuinely smiling behind his red webbed mask.

And with all that was needed to be said out in the open between the two of them he leaped off of the bridge and shot out a web-line swinging back towards the concrete jungle he called his home, he was reluctant about the visit at first. Nervous for some unknown reason but now that it was over he felt himself looking forward to the next time he would be able to talk to her, but that conversation would have to wait another year.

As the shrinking figure swung into the distance and out of sight another soft breath of wind kissed the small rose causing it to roll off of the bridge's tower, it fell silently just as she did a year prior and stopped to rest in the calm steady waters below.


End file.
